Figure-toy attachment for disk phonographs



April 15 1924. 1,490,601

E. L. DODSON ET AL I FIGURE TOY ATTAC HMENT FOR DISK PHONOGRAPHS FiledMarch 14,

415% final, ATTOF/Vfy ma M Patented Apr. 15, E924.

EDWIN L. DODSON AND EEENRY GEORGE PELSTEING, GEE COVINGTOH, KENTUCKY.

FIGURE-TOY ATTAUEZh-EEIJZ 139E Application filed March. 14, 1921.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, EDWIN L. DoDso andHENRY GEORGE PELSTRING, both citizens of the United States of America,and residents of Covington, in the county of Kenton and State ofKentucky, have jointly in vented a certain new and useful Improve mentin Figure-Toy Attachments for Disk Phonographs, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to figure-toy at tachments for disk phonographsand, more particularly, to the figure-toy device for which LettersPatent No. 1,29,24t3 was 1 granted to us February 11, 1919, its objectherein being mainly to provide a heavy or weighty base that is notdirectly fastened nor permanently secured to the soundingboard of thephonograph, but is otherwise provided with a trimmed sponge-rubber bottom, of one or more pad-pieces, that takes a ready gravity friction andsuction hold upon and with the upper face of said soundingboard and onwhich latter the figure-toy device simply rests, with its driving-wheelin frictional-contact with the marginal edge of the disk-record or withthat of the turntable, as desired, and without chance or liability ofthe said base to move, shift, or slip away from its proper place foraction on the sounding-board, when once put or placed there, subject toready release or removal bodily, by lifting it upwardly when not to be Iused. Another feature of the invention herein is embodied 1n thepecullar manner of securing the platform and toy supportingupright inthe said heavy or weighty base, whereby a firm and substantial joint iseffected and without liability to work loose or part in use. p

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentaryperspective View of the attachment, omitting the toy-figure; Fig. 2, arear elevation of the toy-figure;

' Fig. 3, a sectional plan, taken on the dottedline 3, 3, of Fig. 1,showing the platform and its supports, together with the driving-wheelof the figure-toy attachment but omitting the disk-record andturn-table; Fig. i, a bottom plan View of the said heavy or weighty baseand its special form of spongerubber pads or cushions embodying theprincipal feature of the invention herein; Fig. 5, a rear, verticalperspective view showing the peculiar structure of the said weighty baseand its special form of joint (shown in PHDNOGRAPES.

Serial No. 452,200.

section) with the platform supporting-upright, the latter being brokenoif about midheight; and Fig. 6, aplan view of the said weighty base,taken by itself, but omitting the wedge-bar thereof.

6 indicates the turn-table and 7 the diskrecord, with a rubber-faceddriving-wheel 8 in frictional-contact with the margin of said turntableand mounted to rotate or turn eccentrically on a bearing pin or screw 9at the lower end of the shuttle 10. The shuttle 10 has verticalside-grooves 11 that engage the guide-lugs 12 on the back of thesupporting-upright 13, the latter having along, its opposite side-edgesangular rear flanges or guides 14: for the slidable-engagement of thehook-arms 15 located near the opposite ends of the platform 16.

The said shuttle 10 has at its upper end a suitably adjustableforwardly-projecting angle-arm 17, whose upturned outer end 18 isadapted to detachably-enga e the rear plate 19 on the back of thetoy-figure 20, for supporting the latterin dangling and performingposition over the said platform.

:21 indicates the base for supporting the upright or pedestal 13 so thatthe drivingwheel 8 shall duly engage the marginal edge of either thedisk-record or that of the turntable, as occasion may require. This baseis a heavy or weighty one, ordinarily capable of sustaining itself, byits own gravity mainly, on the surface of the sounding-board 22, but, inorder to make doubly-sure or" holding said base from moving or shiftingon the sounding-board, when the device is to be used, a multiple ofthinly-out sponge-rubber cushions or disks 23 is provided on the bottomof the base, as best shown Fig. 4, such thin cushions or disks beingpreferably of sponge-rubber, as stated, but with the rubber trimmed orcut straight across its grain to impart to it the best attainablefriction or suction holding powers or qualities that will not permit anysliding, slipping or creeping of the base from its once put or setposition for performing use of the figure-toy device.

The weighty base-is thus not mechani-' cally-secured to thesounding-board as in said former patent but it simply restsor sitsthereon and clings thereto, free, however, to be easily lifted therefromin a vertical manner, whenever desired, but not shiftable nor movable,otherwise, at all. Besides, the base in the said former patent was onlya thin sheet-metal plate having but little weight that necessitatedadditional securing means in the shape of screws that meant expense intime and material, to apply and remove to and from holes made in thesoundingboard that was objectionable to and not really fancied at anytime by the owner and user of the phonograph. The weighty base herein isvery readily adjusted to workingplace on the sounding-board by simplylifting it at any time that it is desired to use the figure-toy on thephonograph, and just as readily removed, by lifting it again, when thetoy is not wanted, no screws nor tools of any kind being necessary. Thesurface of the sounding-board is thus not injured in the least when ourspecial kind of pads or cushions 23 is used on the bottom of our saidweighty base 21 and they further prevent or obviate any undue vibration,rattling or humming of the device on the soundingboard that wouldotherwise be detrimental thereto.

The said weighty base is preferably in the nature of an iron blockhaving a rear cavity or recess 24 opening upwardly and with side notchesor pockets 25 at its opposite ends for receiving the lower, side-fiangedend of. the supporting-upright or pedestal 13, a wedge-bar 26 beingdriven into place in the recess 24, with its opposite ends in engagementwith the said lower sideflanged end of the supporting-upright orpedestal 13 and the notches 25, to tightly hold and sustain the uprightmember 13 in firm and secure place against removal or looseness in use.

The indentations 27 are still further provided in the lower ends of theside-flanges of the said upright member 13, as best shown in Fig. 5, aswell as in the sheet-metal bodyportion, at 28, in the lower end of said1nemher 13, as shown in Fig. 3, for augmenting the frictional hold orengagement of the joint made by the embedding of the said lower end ofmember 13 in the recessed baseblock 21. A deep notch or cavity 29 isprovided in the upper edge of the said wedge 26 to make due allowancefor the bottom or lower end of the stroke of the shuttle 10 in itsreciprocal movements up and down the back of the supporting-upright orpedestal 13.

The figure-toy is made readily attachable and detachable by means of anyordinary snap-button form of device, one good form, however, beingembodied in the upturned tongue 18 of the angle-arm 17 that has a roundprotuberant or button portion 30 and which is adapted to engage theraised middle-portion 31 of the back-plate 19, with said button-portion30 in socketing-relation with an orifice 32 at the center ofsaidback-plate.

The said middle-portion of the back-plate is somewhat resilient so thatthe button-portion 30 of the tongue 18 may snap into latching-place inthe orificed center thereof. At the lower edge of the back-plate 19 weprovide a pair of spaced lugs or short flanges 33 that bear freely uponthe upper face of the angle-arm 17 at both the vertical edges of thetongue 18, to permit the figure-toy to rock or fulcrum on said angle-arm17 during the dangling-performance of the figure-toy and thus form apart of such performance, and at the same time to enable the snapbuttondevice to be closed and parted for the attachment and detachment of thefiguretoy.

. We claim 1. In a figure-toy attachment for diskphonographs, apivotally-jointed toy-figure, a supporting upright or pedestal, avertical shuttle adapted to reciprocally-slide on the said pedestal, aneccentrically-mounted friction-wheel on the said shuttle adapted to berotated or driven by contact with the diskmember or with the turn-tableof the phonograph, a heavy or weighty base-block having a recessprovided with end notches or pockets and adapted to anchor and carry thesaid pedestal, one or more thin, cross-cut sponge.- rubber plane disksor friction-pads stuck to the underside of the said base-block andadapted to hold the entire figure-toy device against shifting on thesounding-board of the phonograph, and a wedge bar or block whoseopposite ends engage said end-notches in the recess of the base-blockand serve to securely hold or anchor the lower end of the pedestal inthe base-block, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a figure-toy attachment for diskphonographs, a pedestal, avertically-reciprocating shuttle on said pedestal, a figuretoy, asnap-button connection for detachably-mounting the figure-toy indangling or wiggle-performing position on the shuttle and suchsnap-button connection comprising a vertically-adjustableforwardly-projecting arm provided at the upper end of the shuttle andhaving at its outer end an upright tongue-formation, a protuberance onsaid tongue-formation, and a transverse plate mounted on the back of thefiguretoy and having a raised and orificed resilient center and aflanged lower edge, whereby the said figure-toy may be rocked sidewiseon its said snap-button connection, for both attachment and release,and, also, to allow a vibratory sidewise movement 'to the figure-toy,substantially as shown and described.

EDWIN L. DODSON. HENRY GEORGE PELSTRING.

